As development of the sequel trilogy began to ramp up, we quickly learned that there are two kinds of Star Wars fans: those who prefer to shut out any and all information about the new movies to avoid spoilers, and those who can’t wait to gobble up and digest every last morsel of news like an underfed Sarlaac.
The latter kind has been in hibernation ever since George Lucas deactivated the cinematic aspect of the franchise after Revenge of the Sith, but they quickly came out of hiding after Disney announced its acquisition of a certain galaxy far, far away.
There’s nothing wrong with desiring to know the secrets of the trilogy before it’s out. It’s basic human nature. And while too much of a good thing can spoil it, the rampant speculation that ensues after one of these info dumps is plenty of fun to participate in, whether it’s what part of his body Harrison Ford hurt or why Mark Hamill suddenly began to resemble Alec Guiness.
Thanks to the folks at Latino Review, these Star Wars fans have a fresh batch of details to feast on regarding Episode VII. Be warned: This is as close to the Dark Side as you’ll get without being corrupted.
*WARNING: EPISODE VII SPOILERS AHEAD*
The latest leak comes from a user on an unnamed Star Wars message board by the name of Mizzlewump, who we can assume, based on the name alone, is a disgruntled Ewok who was fired from the set of Return of the Jedi. Master Mizzlewump shared a few juicy yet vague details about key plot elements of Episode VII. Seeing as these tidbits seem to tie into the original trilogy, I’ve linked each of them with a quote from those films that sums up what impact each one might have.
We’ll start with an update on the status of the three returning leads:
"Leia is made leader of the Republic after her predecessor’s death, Han is a retired veteran of the Republic fleet, and Luke hasn’t been seen in nearly 30 years."
“These aren’t the droids you’re looking for.” The most interesting part of Episode VII, which is set 30 years after Return of the Jedi, will be seeing how much our favorite characters have changed since the ostensible end of the Empire. Luke appears to be following in his master Obi-Wan Kenobi’s footsteps and possibly gone into hiding, but why? And while Han as a veteran of the Republic military makes sense, what happened to make Leia leader of the Republic? Who was her predecessor?
"The lead character is Han and Leia’s daughter; the other lead is the child of Lando, either a male or female; the other lead is a Stormtrooper, eithera male or female; and Luke has no known offspring."
“We would be honored if you would join us.” Some have already guessed that Han and Leia would have a child in the intervening years and he would be factor into the plot. After all it’s likely he’s Force-sensitive, being Anakin’s grandson. Lando’s child also makes sense as an adventure partner. There’s a lot of fun to be had there with that dynamic, and hopefully their parents come along for the ride too. And although it seems odd at first, there are some more spoilers below that explain why a Stormtrooper is still around after the Empire was defeated. But pay attention to the wording of that last part: Luke has no known offspring.
"The Empire still exists in the form of a number of loyal galaxies and are in a state of cold war with the Republic. It is simply referred to as the “Empire,” and the Republic is referred to formally only once, as the “Galactic Republic”; no “New” anywhere."
“So what I told you was true…from a certain point of view.” So technically the Empire was defeated, but similar to Timothy Zahn’s Heir to the Empire trilogy, it seems to still exist in the form of smaller pockets of insurgents. It’s possible this could be a theme of the upcoming trilogy: that evil isn’t so easily eradicated, and there may be a higher price to pay to get rid of it. The “Galactic Republic” is an interesting wrinkle too – perhaps hinting that this Republic is not quite new enough to shed the flaws of the Old Republic.
"There are no Jedi whatsoever, and people still speak as if they are extinct, with Luke being “the last of his kind.”"
“I find your lack of faith disturbing.” Indeed. This could be a clue as to why Luke is missing: Perhaps he had trouble coping as the only Jedi in the galaxy and had to get away for a while, although 30 years is a long time to go missing.
"The main antagonists are an older student of the Emperor, and his apprentice, who takes control of the power dynamic between the two pretty quickly."
“Who’s more foolish, the fool or the fool who follows him?” This tidbit implies the Emperor had another apprentice in training besides Darth Vader, which he’s done before in the EU. And obviously this follows the Sith Rule of Two, to the point where it sounds like the apprentice will eventually overtake his master. Let’s just hope he lasts longer than other Sith apprentices.
Here is perhaps the biggest revelation of Mizzlewump’s information:
"The Republic is excavating ruins on a neutral world for a weapon. The world factors into tense negotiations the Empire has had with the Republic, and is referred to as the “Sith homeworld.” In the script, the Sith are a couple thousand years old, founded by an ancestor of Palpatine called Ruin. The apprentice in this film also goes by that name. The ruins within the Sith Homeworld are a control station, and the planet itself is the weapon."
“I have a bad feeling about this.” Actually, I have a pretty good feeling about this, because it sounds pretty cool. Bringing in the history and lore of the Sith sounds like a great way to widen the scope of the Star Wars saga and perhaps even tie the new films into the prequels, what with Palpatine’s family line being brought in. It seems all but certain that Palpatine will be making some kind of an appearance, and perhaps this new apprentice with the name of his ancestor is related. I just hope the planet weapon is more than just a third Death Star.
"Luke saves the day at the end, but in a bad way – he has changed."
“No reward is worth this.” This is the vaguest piece of information, and likely won’t hold much import until Episodes VIII and IX. Could Luke join the Dark Side and become an enemy? Or is he just wounded permanently in some way?
Take a while to digest this information until the next development. And be sure not to ruin the movie for fans who are avoiding spoilers.